Biennale of Sydney Archive Stories #1

by The Editors

As part of her research for the 21st Biennale of Sydney, artistic director Mami Kataoka has initiated a number discussions with artists, curators and practitioners who have contributed to or witnessed the biennial’s evolution over its 45-year history. These talks have been culminated under the series: “Biennale Archive Stories.” In the first of the events, Kataoka had a conversation with performance artist and printmaker Mike Parr, Aboriginal activist and curator Djon Mundine, and former BoS managing director Paula Latos-Valier. The four figures share decades of experience, and recap their involvement in a few notable episodes, including the first participation of Indigenous artists in the 1979 Biennale of Sydney, Parr’s introduction of live chickens into the Art Gallery of New South Wales for his performances in a black box, how riot police visited the Biennale in 1982, and more.

The 21st Biennale of Sydney will take place over 12 weeks in 2018, from March 16 until June 11.